Complex Days

by Shūsuke Amagi

  Having just remembered, Meishen nodded in assent many times over.

  "What kind of shop was it?"

  "It looked like a cafe that only served cake and tea. But……"

  "So-mehow, it seemed like they had no motivation."

  "Yeah."

  "No motivation?"

  "That's right. The cakes seemed like they were made because they had to, and in spite of that the tea wasn't even very good. It was an ordinary shop. There didn't seem to be any regulars, and it felt like they had a lot of free time."

  "There weren't any other customers, and it felt really hard to stay."

  In response to the nodding pair, Layfon and Naruki eyes met.

  Sweet Day

  Sweet Before III

  When Mifi woke up, there were two faces whom had pulled an all-nighter.

  "Whac'cha doin'?"

  "Well....,"

  "Something....,"

  Even being half-asleep, Mifi could tell they were trying to prevaricate something from their words.

  "Did, did you finished it?"

  "U...mu[1A 1]...,"

  "Well, somehow."

  If she remembered correctly, Meishen said she was making Layfon's and Naruki's bento because they had to skip school to help the municipal police. She's definitely making that.

  But if it's Meishen, she didn't need an all-nighter to make bento. That's because even if today is Van Allen Day, Layfon will eat any bento she makes.

  So that means, today's case would be Naruki.

  Typically, Mifi could only see a boring old man senpai but that's probably fine for Naruki.

  "Uwaa-"

  She couldn't stop yawning. Mifi was also preparing her manuscript till it was late last night, and fell asleep from tiredness.

  "Well, I'm going ahead."

  While Mifi was whistling, the dressed up Naruki called out to them. There was not a trace of fatigue on her face. It was during these times that Mifi was envious of a military artist's stamina.

  As Naruki went out, Meishen was washing her face. As expected, she can't wash away the fatigue of an all-nighter. It seems that even the power of love can't erase an all-nighter's dark shadows.

  Mifi too, wanted to go back to sleep. She could just give the excuse that she handed it in after school.

  "Layton is not here, so are you trying to cheat on him this morning?"

  "N-No, I'm not."

  At Mifi's words, Meishen stuttered a bit and escaped by going to the washroom to wash her face.

  "Well that can't be helped, I better go too-"

  For now she decided to go to her own room and ready her bag.

  "Huh...?"

  Unintentionally realizing, Mifi became terrified.

  "Now that I think about it, I don't have anyone to give to."

  Becoming aware of that reality, Mifi felt slightly lonelier since morning.

  A Day For You 03

  This chapter is 45% completed. Please see changelog for updates.

  That day, Nina was passing time in the silence of the military arts training hall.

  "Fuuh,"

  Ending her usual training, Nina steadied her breath before wiping her sweat with a towel. In stopping her training and just as she was enveloped by the silence, the mischief of comfort surged forward. Feeling different from the usual atmosphere, Nina knitted her eyebrows and looked around.

  With the exception of Nina, there was no one from the 17th platoon here. Layfon notified her yesterday that he would rest today and Sharnid suddenly said that he had to take the day off. Furthermore, she didn't have Felli's contact number (Felli didn't give it to her). It wasn't necessary to maintain the Dite everyday so Harley wasn't here.

  "Mattaku...,"[1]

  While she grumbled, she was once again thought of what day was today.

  Today was Van Allen's day.

  The queer culture where one gives sweets to another instead of confessing their love was not peculiar in Zuellni. Last year, the guys from the commerce department who ran the confectionery-related shops got to know other cities' culture, and then ran a grand campaign out of it.

  Just because the generation(age group) most interested in romance had gathered, the students had fun and took that in custom, and so this year, that day has come again.

  "Mattaku...,"

  After muttering it again, Nina threw down her towel standing alone at the center of the training room, started generating Kei and resumed training her stance[2].

  If it was the usual days, the soundproof partition would shake to the extent that the other platoon's training could be heard but today, that sound feels as if it is well-behaved.

  Within the military arts department, a platoon member who possesses excellent talent will be elected. Furthermore, if the inter-platoon matches take place, the spectator seating of the battleground will be filled, and they are also popular enough that the matches will be linked through the monitors. It's to an extent where within that, people (participants) who are die-hard fans also exist.

  "Now that I think about it, didn't it also feel the same last year too?"

  While she was thinking how it was, a metal whip was swung and her stance was broken. Stopping her fall, she concentrated on her training once more.

  "Don't think of unnecessary things!"

  No matter how much of a militant artist she was, she was still a student. It was not possible to say she was not interested in love. Even if she was hit by the enthusiasm called Van Allen's Day which spurt out incessantly from her surroundings, she cannot be blamed for it.

  But,

  "I am who I am."

  That has nothing to do with me. Placing those strong words in her heart, Nina started over from the beginning to retrain her form.

  Until her usual training hours end, she repeated her form training and after that, Nina showered to wash away her sweat. She was off duty today from cleaning the Central Mechanism Chamber today. Without considering of visiting any place, she thought of immediately returning to the dorm as she strode out of the main entranceway.

  "Antalk-senpai!"

  The sudden sound of the shrill voice surprised Nina. At the side of the main entranceway, a group of female students who were waiting in line quickly surrounded her.

  "W-what is it?"

  There was no hostility from the girls coming at Nina but, she could not think of a way to deal with the female students that swarmed over her with honest feelings. The bewildered her had lost her means of escape and incidentally, she was spoken to as if insults were hurled towards her.

  "Senpai, I....."

  "Senpai, please accept my feelings!"

  "Um, this.......for senpai.."

  "Please accept this!"

  "Please eat this!"

  At the thing they simultaneously held out, Nina's eyes rounded. In the hands of the female students were objects with various kinds of ribbons wrapped around it that made them look fitting.

  There was no need to imagine what the contents were.

  ".........Do all of you, know what day it is today?"

  While feeling the cold sweat on the temple of her forehead, she asked.

  "Yes we do!"

  "We talked about it......"

  "We didn't want to trouble Senpai..."

  "It's not strange to give it to the person you admire too."

  She sort of understood what they wanted to say. To differentiate the years or grades, the militant arts sector have different colours for the sword belt but the liberal arts sector have different coloured neckties, ribbons and etc. Since they all call her by Nina'senpai then they must either be first or second year juniors.

  (...Respect, you say?)

  This was the question she had in mind. She had been told of such before. Most of them were from her juniors in the military arts sector, furthermore they were mostly girls. To the girls, as long as they(the lower year students) classifies them as third year students, becoming a platoon member and in addition a captain too will most likely gain
their respect, is what Nina was told and was able to agree to.

  But, these girls were students of the general studies sector and have nothing to do with military arts. And also, their glances at Nina carried the feeling that it had a little too much respect for her.

  (What a strange situation)

  She thought of that but in the end, she lost to their zeal and accepted the sweets. As a result from being dumbfounded for a while, Nina looked at the back of her juniors who were happily leaving but-

  "Well it's not like I'm the only one who received presents."

  As she thought of that, she started to move her feet.

  Suddenly, Nina felt a glance from the side of her face. Not moving her face, she scanned her surroundings for any presences. There wasn't any person. But, there was a glance that felt as if it caressed her cheeks and continued to monitor her.

  (That's strange)

  That was what she thought.

  Because somebody was hiding while secretly examining Nina, that look felt like it was rudely facing her. For example, it is like when an acquaintance found her just now, and while she hesitates whether or not it is fine to greet him, she just looks at him. That sort of feeling.

  (There's still someone hiding?)

  There might have been a person who did not mix in with the group of underclassmen just now.

  "Is anyone there?"

  Standing still, Nina called out to the surroundings. She felt the look on her right cheek. Over there was a small mound due to tree-planting, and the evening filled with the gloomy silence seemed to last.

  The plant was obstructing her field of vision but, there was no sign of anybody.

  "That was strange......was it just my imagination?"

  Tilting her neck, Nina walked away again. The parcels of sweets she was carrying with both her arms looked like they were about to collapse.

  (Today, it's faster to go home by walking)

  After deciding that, she turned her legs to the direction of the now moundless branching road towards the bus stop.

  "Ahahahahahahaha!"

  The moment she saw Nina came back to the dorm, Leu immediately made a conjecture of the situation and then gave out a loud, hearty laugh.

  "Wha-, it's not something to laugh about."

  She thought so, however with her cheeks turning red, Nina personally became incredibly flustered and therefore everything she said, lost all merit.

  "But........that's definitely from girls. Fu-......ahahahahaha!"

  Holding her stomach with both her arms, even now Leu who seemed like she was going to fall off from rolling about on the sofa that functions as a reception office lounge was given a glower. But quickly, after the sweets were placed on the fruitless[3], Nina sat down on the sofa used for interviewing purposes.

  "It's not like I asked for any presents."

  She mummured while puffing up her cheeks.

  "Well, well. You received a lot didn't you, ne~"

  Over there was Selina who came after finishing dinner's preparation. She gazed at the piled up boxes of sweets on the table with great interest and, with a gentle stretch of her hand on one of them, it opened on its own accord.

  "Aa, Selina-san......"

  "Ye~s?"

  "Well, those are mine......"

  For the time being, Nina was mannerable towards the group of girls which gave her the chocolate. She thought of it that way but, Selina took out the contents without an ounce of care.

  The cookies for the important day were crammed in the small box.

  "Fu~n....."

  "Selina-san?"

  Without having any indication of eating it, Selina who slipped the cookie between her fingers and seemed to held it up to the light and let out an "Ei" while spliting the cookie into two halves.

  "Uhyaa!"

  The one who gave out that shriek was Leu.

  The moment Selina split the cookie, along with the fragments that were pulverised, something black came falling out.

  "W-why?"

  Leu directed that question to everyone in the room[4]. Nina also fell down on the table, as she widened her eyes the moment she saw the dangling object from the cross section of the cookie.

  She can't be mistaken about it. It was a person's hair.

  The long strings of hairs that fell on the table were attached and coiled here and there within the fragments of the cookie, which made Nina and Leu tremble.

  "Oh, my"

  "Wha-what is this?"

  To the Selina who let out a calm voice, Nina asked.

  "Well, I thought 'there might be some chance' but it seems there are people who would really do it,"

  "So, what is it?"

  Leu also asked very irritatedly.

  "Well you know~as Van Allen's day was nearing, a strange good luck charm had been becoming popular,"

  "Good luck charm?"

  Hearing words they couldn't believe, both of them stared Selina's face.

  "Mmm, I wonder if it's okay to say it's a method to grant a person's wishes?I don't know whether there is or isn't but it's said to rely on a supernatural power..... Well, it's a charm to allow the person whom you love to have feelings for you by eating a part of your body."

  "So, the hair?"

  "That seems to be the case. By no means, would a person go to the extent of offering their own flesh so there's no one like that."

  "It's troublesome even if you say so."

  Immediately while she was answering, Nina thought maybe the other sweets were the same too.

  If it was like that, then she wouldn't want to eat it anymore.

  "Hey, hey, is it ok if I check it out?"

  "Please do it when I'm not here."

  To Selina's request, Nina wearily replied.

  And, a doubt had arisen as Selina seemed excessively happy carrying the rest of the boxes of sweets in her arms.

  ".....It couldn't be, the one who made it popular was not Selina-san, right?"

  "No~, I only heard it~"

  "Wait, from who!?"

  Because she admitted it so easily, conversely, Nina was surprised.

  "Because a friend of mine from the study of law said she wanted to know the statistics of males and females whom sought others for help, so I just taught her 'these kinds of things do happen~'The ultimate good will is to adapt to the other party, the part of letting your partner eat a part of you is, so to speak, sour grapes."

  ".....Tomorrow for sure, if there is a large outbreak of food poisoning cases then it is Selina-san's fault."

  "Mou~[5], something like that won't happen. Oh, yeah."

  Selina hit her hands as she thought of a bright idea.

  "As an apology for surprising you, let me teach you a good luck charm."

  ".......What is it?"

  "A charm to ensure the safety of the person you love."

  "Whaa......until now it's rare to hear words that don't suit Selina-san."

  "Ah, that's mean~."

  At Leu's words, Selina puffed up her cheeks.

  "I wonder what people who say their loved ones are guinea pigs[6] are saying......"

  "Fuuun. Then I won't teach it to you"

  "Eeh, I don't really mind"

  "If Leu-chan's boyfriend does not become a platoon member next year too, I was going to make it 'because Leu-chan didn't have enough love for him.'"

  "Buho-"

  At Selina's unexpected words, Leu spat out her unfinished tea and Nina's eyes rounded.

  "Wha, wha, wha......"

  "Leu.....you had a boyfriend?"

  Precisely because that sort of frivolous feeling was somewhat showing an unknown side of Leu, it was surprising.

  "That's wrong! It's not like that!"

  Even if she denies it, her face was becoming bright red and she was disturbed by it so her argument lost merit.

  "He was a former classmate, that was all."

  "Then was it someone I also knew?"

  Nina and Leu were in the same class during their first yea
r. As she was trying to remember the faces of the military arts department of that time, a loud voice interrupted her.

  "You don't have to remember it!"

  "Leu......that's like admitting, he is somebody from when we were first years."

  "Uu......."

  Realising her own blunder, Leu let out a moan.

  "Yes, ye~s. That's why, I'll teach you a charm to wish for Leu-chan and Nina-chan's boyfriend's safety as a military artist."

  Yesterday too, Selina tried to coax Nina to make her sweets for Layfon.

  "Well well, I will leave that for now so listen. That charm is....."

  Selina lowered her voice. While Leu made a chagrin-filled face, she also sharpened her ears at those words and Nina was also naturally, bringing her face closer to Selina.

  "......Of..... that, is what I'm giving you."

  When Selina finished talking, both of their faces reddened. Similarly, both of them had their thighs neatly joint together, and were pinning down their skirts with their hands.

  "It's the same as (what I said) just now, y'know~. By letting your partner take a part of yourself, which resides in a place that isn't easily shown to others, you deliver your feelings which wish for their safety. All the Military Artists in our city do this, y'know."

  "That's definitely a lie!"

  Nina and Leu aligned their voices and denied it.

  After finishing dinner, Nina went out of the dorm alone. With a sword belt coiled at her waist, stuck closely to the upper part of the trainer's body was a jacket which she put on as she left the dorm. She would do this on the days without the machine cleaning duty. She would end up thinking she did not move her body enough.

  Nearby her dorm where the three of them lived was the architectural department's practise area, where there were buildings that were either under construction or in the middle of demolition everywhere. Nina confirmed the empty plot of land which she was aiming for from the window of her room.

  At the center of the bare ground stood Nina. As she was trying to pull out her Dite from her sword belt, her hand stopped.

  (Again......)

  Again, she felt a glance. It was the same when she returned home from the military practice hall. She did not felt any hostility but, not knowing that person's true intentions was uncomfortable.